Lawmaker Under Fire For Attempting To Pass Bill That Targets Muslim Women

By: Clayton Browne | January 21, 2017

A Republican lawmaker in the Georgia state legislature is proposing a controversial law that would ban Muslim women from wearing religious head garb while driving.

Apparently, Georgia legislator Jason Spencer, a Republican, has proposed a bill which designed to turn an anti-masking statute aimed at the Ku Klux Klan applicable to Muslim women today.

The controversial bill is opposed by both Democrats and Republicans, with several commenting the intent of the proposed new law is to curb religious freedoms.

The bill was submitted to require Muslim women to remove veils and burqas while taking driver's license photos.

However, critics note regulations in placed already require drivers to reveal their faces in photos for licenses

Moreover, critics note the rather vague wording of the bill could lead to interpreting it as requiring Muslim women to uncover their faces in public.

Spencer, however, claimed the bill is not intended to ban Muslim women from wearing burqas in public.

He explained in an interview with the media that the bill is “is simply a response to constituents that do have concerns of the rise of Islamic terrorism, and we in the state of Georgia do not want our laws used against us and to take advantage of us.”

He also argued that prohibiting face coverings is an important public safety issue as it may obstruct the view of drivers, and that the burqa ban would also make it easier for law enforcement to identify drivers.